These new liquors are going against the grain

Whiskey in the US must be made from grain, which is defined as
corn, wheat, rye, or barley. That might be about to change,
however, as distillers have asked the regulatory agency in charge
of such definitions - the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureau (TTB) - to allow other plants to be used.
Specifically, the manufacturers want to broaden the definition of
grain to include 'pseudocereal' grains like amaranth, buckwheat,
and quinoa.

While distillers could make an alcoholic beverage from said
pseudocereals, they were previously not allowed to call it whiskey.
The TTB has tentatively approved the rule change, which is now in
the public comment phase. In the interim, some
brands have been given the green light to call these
kinds of products "whiskey."

Nashville-based Corsair Distillery is leading the
vanguard of this trend. They currently sell a whiskey that is 80%
and 20% quinoa. "If I'm making a painting, I want to have as many
colors in my palate that I can paint with," Corsair founder Darek
Bell told National Public Radio. "So as I'm making these whiskeys
going forward, maybe it's just a small touch of oatmeal that adds a
little more to the body of the whiskey, or just a little bit of
quinoa that adds something different."